Shure SM81 vs KSM 141 for acoustic guitar

[bchamorro]

Which do you prefer for acoustic guitar?

[Mike Brown]

KM84...

but between those its a toss up. I like the 141 but I think I would go to the Sm81 first.

[lestat26]

I had the sm81 for nylon classical guitar. It was ok. I hear the ksm series is better in sound quality. Never heard the 141 but I would have to hear it to know which one is the better.

[AllAboutTone]

I have not used any of the KSM stuff but i would bet i would like it better from what i have read over the 81s, I sold my 81s, i got tried of them after 10 years.

[deeper]

Mic choice for acoustic guitar depends on whether it is a strummed guitar part or a finger-picked guitar part. It also depends upon whether you want the acoustic guitar part to be relatively buried in the mix (like in standard pop and rock productions) or whether the guitar is a featured part, in which case you want a fuller, more robust sound. And that's not even getting into how different guitars sound different and might benefit from different mics.

Without clarifying the roll of the acoustic guitar in the mix, this poll is meaningless.

[lestat26]

Originally Posted by deeper

Mic choice for acoustic guitar depends on whether it is a strummed guitar part or a finger-picked guitar part. It also depends upon whether you want the acoustic guitar part to be relatively buried in the mix (like in standard pop and rock productions) or whether the guitar is a featured part, in which case you want a fuller, more robust sound. And that's not even getting into how different guitars sound different and might benefit from different mics.

Without clarifying the roll of the acoustic guitar in the mix, this poll is meaningless.

Solid Cedar top w solid cypress back and sides. UA solo 610 , and grace m101 pre. Tried burried in the mix for struming, lead guitar, and solo guitar finger pick. SM81 is good. But sold mine 3 days ago.
I have the Beyerdynamics MC930 on the way, I think this mic will perform better for my taste.

[Sean Sullivan]

For mono acoustic guitar I really like the SM81. I sold my pair because I've been using KM84s, but I miss the SM81s (also a really great hi-hat microphone) so I'll probably pick one up when I have a bigger space for recording.

[michaelhoddy]

I do have pairs of both sets of Shures, plus KM84's.

The SM81's are brighter and cut through better, the 141's a little silker and not as forward in the top end and smoother in the midrange. The KSM141's are significantly quieter. If it helps, the 141 seems to work better on the bridge and the 81 better on the neck, and I would pair those with something different in the other position for stereo work.

The SM81 works well for nylon. I actually really like it on nylon.

The KM84's beat up on both Shures, although the 141 is a good deal closer in character.

All that said, what I'm actually using for acoustic most of the time is a KM84 on the neck and an ELUX 251 on the bridge, which beats the pants off any of the Shures, and it had better.